


Can You Fill This Silence?

by april_showers23



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-02 10:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10942281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/april_showers23/pseuds/april_showers23
Summary: An elite party has forced former best friends Farkle Minkus and Riley Matthews to speak to each other after two years of silence. Or a story about when drinking, a dumb game, and too many feelings bring the truth out.





	1. The Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! So, this fic idea about Farkle and Riley losing their friendship after ninth grade has been in my mind for several months now and with summer starting soon, I have actually had time to write it into fruition! I hope you all enjoy! :) 
> 
> (This is my first published fic so please be gentle, but I am always open to constructed criticism, so please comment below!)

Farkle Minkus hated parties.

 

It wasn’t because he was deemed by society as a socially awkward nerd who would never actually be seen (or be invited) to a party. It didn’t matter what kind, he just had a strong displeasure for all parties in general. The noise, the atmosphere, the false pretense of fun all made him believe parties were a superficial form of torture.

 

He _especially_ hated parties thrown by his parents, which he was in the misfortune of being at right now.

 

Stuart and Jennifer Minkus always held an annual spring event to celebrate their business, Minkus International, at their penthouse apartment, and this spring was no exception. Farkle, being the only child of the successful couple, was forced to come to the party to present an image of a perfect, happy family. Farkle scoffed at the thought, because while his family did get along at times, they were far from perfect. Nonetheless, Farkle came to support his parents to uphold the appearance of a genius-filled family.

 

Yet, he was getting increasingly agitated since the party started. As Farkle was going to be a senior in high school this upcoming fall, all his parents’ business partners talked about was college and his future.

 

“ _You must be going to Princeton like your father of course!”_ or “ _You’ll be working at your father’s company I’m sure, you are his heir after all_!” like this was the god damn Medieval times and Farkle was inheriting a fucking throne.

 

So that’s why Farkle hated these parties so much; it reminded him that his future was already set and he really had no say in the matter.

 

It was two hours into the party and Farkle continued to make useless small talk when he was interrupted by his mother calling his name. As Farkle excused himself from the particularly obnoxious couple he was talking to, he noticed his mother chatting with Cory and Topanga Matthews. This wasn’t surprising as his parents were friends of the Matthews when they all lived in Philadelphia as children. He was surprised though to find their daughter, Riley Matthews, obviously dressed for a party with a sleek purple dress, standing beside them.

 

Riley was a classmate at Farkle’s high school, but he rarely saw her at his parents' events and to be honest, they barely talked with each other in any setting for several years. They _used_ to talk all the time in elementary and middle school because they were _best friends_. Hell, he had the biggest crush on Riley and her best friend Maya through most of his young years. But after ninth grade, their friendship broke and neither Farkle nor Riley attempted to fix it. So, in all honesty, he was slightly taken aback by her presence at the party.

 

“Farkle!” his mother exclaimed loudly, “Look who came! It’s Cory and Topanga Matthews, and their daughter Riley!”

 

“Mom, I know, I can see.” It took all of Farkle’s ability to suppress an eye roll. “Mr. Matthews is my history teacher and I’ve known him and his family since I was seven years old.” Farkle simultaneously sighed and cringed thinking back to his dorky seven-year old self. Turning to the Matthews family with a genuine smile he said, “It’s great to see you all, I’m so glad you came.”

 

Topanga answered with smile back, “Oh, we wouldn’t miss it for anything. We were just telling your mother why we were late. Auggie had a choir recital and then we had to drop him off for a sleepover tonight. He truly is sorry though that he is missing this party tonight.”

 

At the corners of his eyes, Farkle then caught a glimpse of Riley in the background who scoffed at her mother’s last statement. Locking eyes with hers, he gave her a knowing smiling making the assumption that there was no way ten-year old Auggie wanted to come here tonight. And observing Riley’s small smile back at him, he was pretty sure she didn’t want to be here either.

 

“Riley was free tonight though,” Topanga continued, “so now she’s here to enjoy for both herself and Auggie!” Riley flinched at her words, and he knew he was right: she was forced to be here just like him.

 

However, even if she was here against her will, Riley stepped forward with a dazzling smile and shook Jennifer’s hand, “It really is great to be here. Thank you for inviting us.”

 

Jennifer grinned back at her. “I’m just so glad you all could make it! We must catch up on your life Riley sometime later tonight! But first, Topanga and Cory, would you like a drink?” And with that, their parents started walking towards the bar without a thought, leaving Farkle and Riley alone.

 

After several beats of silence, Farkle tried to be a good host and break the obvious awkwardness. “Sooo… How have you –“

 

“I’m assuming by that knowing smile you gave me earlier and the fact that we are surrounded by old, rich people that you, like me, do not want to be here right now.” Riley stated matter-of-factly.

 

Farkle stared at her for a solid few seconds, awed at her blunt perception, “I guess it really is that obvious how much I hate parties.”

 

“It was just a hunch.” Riley smirked then started to laugh, causing her whole face to light up. In that instant, memories of Riley’s smiling face raced through Farkle’s mind and he suddenly became mesmerized by her glowing expression just like he used to be in the past. He barely heard her ask then, “Want to start our own party?”

 

“What?” Farkle questioned, not understanding what she said.

 

“I said…do you want to start our own party?” She gave him a mischievous smile.

 

Farkle looked at her apprehensively, still confused. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean this.” Then without warning, she took one of Farkle’s hands, sending a shiver throughout his body, and dragged him to the bar. When they reached the empty countertop, Riley turned to the bartender and stated boldly, “Hello. Mr. Minkus, not this one,” pointing at Farkle, “Mr. _Stuart_ Minkus asked us to bring him one bottle of Hennessy and one bottle of Pinot Noir for some guests.”

 

The bartender looked skeptically between Riley and Farkle at first, but nevertheless nodded before handing her the two bottles. Riley again gave a dazzling smile to the man and then gave a quick wink to Farkle while walking toward the elevator.

 

Farkle followed right after her, attempting to keep up with her fast pace when he asked, “Why did you do that?”

 

“I told you. We are having our own party so we need alcohol. Plus, I always wanted to try Hennessy.” She said it like it was the most obvious, natural statement in the planet. “You still live here? What floor are you on again?”

 

Farkle could not believe what was happening. While it’s true he hasn’t spoken properly to Riley in years, he was completely shocked to see her acting this way. The Riley he remembered was always a “goodie-two-shoes” who barely stepped out of line unless “rule-breaker” Maya was beside her. Yet here she is, lying and stealing alcohol right in front of Farkle without any bashfulness. She was the popular girl, so there is no doubt in his mind that she never had alcohol before, but he just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact about how bold she just was.

 

“Farkle, what floor do you live on?” she repeated because Farkle was still trying to process what just happened.

 

“Twenty-three.” He said without really thinking. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Farkle asked skeptically.

 

“Come on. It’s not like they are going to notice anyway. Just live a little. Have some fun!” She exclaimed as she pushed the button with twenty-three on it.

 

Farkle was internally freaking out. _Just live a little? What does that even mean?_

 

Riley must have seen the intense look on Farkle’s face because she put the bottles on the elevator floor and took him by the shoulder and forced him to face her directly. “Farkle, it’s OK. OK? We’re just going to hangout in your room, watch a movie or something, and drink. And maybe get shit-faced or whatever.” Her enchanting laugh filled the elevator after seeing Farkle’s suddenly frightened face. “I’m joking! God, it’s going to be very lowkey, but much better than whatever is happening up there in lame elite-ville. So just breathe please.”

 

Farkle was getting lost in her inviting brown eyes. He may not be familiar with this new Riley but he could tell he was getting hypnotized by her words, just like he used to all those years ago.

 

And then he really thought about it. When was the last time he actually “lived a little” or even stepped out of bounds? He always had every little thing in his life planned out for him, scheduled to the last second, he barely had time to enjoy being a normal teenager. So, what was so bad about getting drunk and catching up with his former beautiful best friend? Looking into Riley’s tender eyes, Farkle forgot all about his responsibilities. He inhaled and exhaled.

 

A coy smile played on her lips as she stepped out of the elevator. “Good. Get the bottles and let’s rebel Minkus.”

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 

“I’m going to be honest, I only came here because I wanted to see your planetarium ceiling.” Riley teased staring up at the expansive galaxy above their heads.

 

“Oh now I’m hurt, do you want me to tell my mom the real reason you’re here?” Farkle joked back earning a playful glare from Riley.

 

He thought back to the day when she first came to his room. He was so nervous to show his friends the unnecessarily luxurious place he called home but the always-accepting Riley embraced his lifestyle without a second thought after he told her Pluto was still a planet in his room. “Still believe in Pluto?” Farkle questioned, hoping he still knew the answer.

 

Riley tilted her head to the side and gave him a small fond smile, “Always.”

 

Farkle felt his face warm up at the word. It used to be a word they said to each other all the time. A word holding a secret promise between them, claiming they were forever. Farkle suddenly saddened at the thought that they haven’t said it to each other in over two years. How could they be forever if they weren’t even friends anymore?

 

Farkle shook his head and remembered that forever wasn’t real anyway. It was just a fabricated concept because nothing lasts forever. Forever, always. Those words did not apply to anyone, especially him.

 

_But then why did this word pull at his heart strings?_

 

Before he could think about it more, Riley interrupted his thoughts. She was holding two shot glasses from the collection he started after traveling but never actually used because Farkle barely, if ever, drank alcohol. 

 

“So, what movie are we watching? Knowing you, the only movies you have are probably space-related.” Setting down the drinks and glasses, she walked toward his limited movie shelf. “I knew it. Only _Star Wars_ and _Star Trek_! Oh wait, you have _Mean Girls_ too! That one is from Maya right? As a birthday joke in eighth grade?” She laughed warmly at the memory. “Well, I’m definitely feeling _The Empire Strikes Back_ right now. That OK with you? I mean it is your favorite movie.” She gave him a quick smile while grabbing the movie off the shelf.

 

“Yeah of course.” Farkle also smiled, shocked but pleased that she remembered the small details. Farkle put the movie in and joined Riley on the couch. He kept his distance though because although Riley was being her usual friendly self, he could still feel some trepidation in the air.

 

As the famous yellow text of the opening crawl started rolling, Riley took the remote from Farkle’s hands and lowered the volume. “Alright, while that plays in the background, _we_ are going to play a game.”

 

“A game?” Farkle asked puzzled.

 

“Yep, a game. I call it Truth or Truth. Basically, we ask each other questions and we have to answer it truthfully. After each question, we both take a shot of the Hennessy or a sip of the wine. Sounds fun, right?!” She clapped her hands in excitement.

 

 _No_ , Farkle thought, _this does not sound fun at all_. _This feels like a terribly weird idea._

 

If Farkle thought Riley was crazy after stealing alcohol, this game-player Riley was absolutely insane.

 

Farkle started calculating, “Well, the objective of the game seems straightforward but I have to say the logistics seem faulty. I mean how many questions are we going to ask? Taking more than six shots of straight hard liquor is very dangerous and although red wine does not have the same alcohol content it –“

 

“Oh my God Dr. Turtleneck, calm down!” Riley quipped. Farkle scrunched his nose at the old lame nickname her dad gave him.

 

“I don’t wear turtlenecks anymore you know.” Farkle defended.

 

Riley eyes scanned over him. “This is true I guess, but…” Riley was then suddenly very close to him with her hands wrapped gently around his neck. Farkle could smell the soft scent of her floral perfume and his heart began beating fiercely against his ribs. He hadn’t been this close to Riley in so long he forgot the effect she had on him. He didn’t even need to start drinking, he was already intoxicated by Riley’s mere presence.

 

She started loosening his tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his dress shirt. “You might not be Dr. Turtleneck anymore, but you’re still as stiff and antsy as ever.” She grinned tenderly at him but her smile slipped after seeing Farkle’s flushed face, mistaking it for worry. “Farkle, if you don’t want to play that’s totally fine. I would never, _ever_ want to put you in a position where you felt uncomfortable. I just thought it would be fun to get to know each other better. Make up for lost time you know? But if you don’t want – “

 

“No.” Farkle interjected weakly but then cleared his throat, forcing courage into him. “I want to play.” And Farkle meant it. Riley might seem to have a hidden agenda with this game but he also wanted to ask her questions. He wanted to know about her life, but more importantly, why he wasn’t a recent part of it.

 

Riley gave him big smile which reached the tips of her beautiful brown eyes and Farkle realized that while everything about her felt completely new and strange, that unique, sun-like smile remained exactly the same. “Alright, let’s play.”

 

_This was going to be an interesting night to say the least._


	2. The Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I was able to finish this chapter a lot quicker than I expected, so here ya go! This chapter is freakishly long and I apologize, but a lot had to be said to make everything clear. I hope you enjoy! <3

“Okay you start Minkus.” Riley suggested.

 

“Um, OK.” Farkle shifted nervously in his seat. He couldn’t start with heavy question immediately right? That would freak her out.

 

_Just keep it simple Minkus._

 

“Were you really free tonight or did your parents really just force you to come here?”

 

“Oh good question!” Riley clapped her hands together. She paused for several seconds, thinking before replying. “Well, after Auggie’s recital, I was supposed to hang out with Maya and Lucas. But since Zay is in Texas for spring break, I didn’t really feel like being the third wheel. So, when my mom said I should go to this, I wasn’t 100% against the idea. I mean I knew it was going to be filled with corporate elites but I figured you would be here and we could possibly talk without making a big fuss.” Riley shrugged nonchalantly and then exclaimed, “Bottom’s up Minkus!” Downing the shot of Hennessy without a problem.  

 

Farkle picked up the shot glass carefully but before drinking it he contemplated her response.  She was willing to come here to see him even though they haven’t spoken in years? Sure, part of it was the fact that she didn’t want to be a third wheel to Maya and Lucas’s relationship, but wasn’t she always? Riley and Lucas Friar started dating in the fall of ninth grade but broke up during sophomore year. From far away, it appeared to Farkle that the break-up was amicable. By the beginning of junior year, Maya and Lucas were dating and Riley was right by their side. She has been “third-wheeling” them for the past six months, why would she feel awkward about it now? While Riley was putting on an indifferent attitude, he could tell, even without analyzing deeply, that she was holding something back. He already knew what his next question was going to be. So, in order to get the courage to ask, he downed the shot and felt the liquid burn the back of his throat.

 

“That’s the spirit! OK Farkle, my turn! Truth or truth?”

 

“Wow, that’s a difficult one to decide.” He joked. “But I guess I’ll go with truth.”

 

“Good choice!” Her excitement was then replaced with a more serious expression. “Complete honesty now. Why did you break up with Smackle?”

 

Farkle froze. That was definitely not a question he was expecting. “W-What is this? Why do you care?”

 

“It’s not your turn to ask a question!” She contested with a pout. “I’m curious as to why you broke up with her.”  

 

Farkle seemed to realize that Riley definitely had a hidden agenda. He wasn’t completely sure what it was, but she seemed to have plotted this game to get specific answers out of Farkle. Because when was she ever “curious” about him and Smackle?

 

“Um, OK… sure. Well, we just decided it was better to be friends than be involved in a romantic relationship with school becoming more challenging, so we ended it after last summer.” He kept the answer short and simple.

 

“Was it mutual?”

 

“How come you can ask so many questions? This doesn’t seem very fair.” Farkle was becoming increasingly defensive. Why did she want to know so much?

 

“These are just follow-up questions to the main question, so it really counts as one giant question. So, was it mutual?” She stared at him expectantly. 

 

“Yes, it was mutual.” He hesitated slightly. “I think we both realized that we just didn’t have those romantic feelings towards each other anymore. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love Isadora and I will forever, but the love changed and there was nothing really new in our romantic relationship.” He looked over at Riley who was taking in his every word, so he pressed on.

 

“Isadora and I are… very similar. I think that was the thing that put us together in the first place. That, and Maya and you pushing us together in eighth grade.” He looked back at her with a small smile, but her face remained stoic. “But, it’s one thing to be similar enough where you get along great but it’s another thing to be _too_ similar that you just don’t end up offering anything new or exciting to each other. We had the same routine and same goals which helped us grow but not necessarily change for the better. Like your dad says, ‘people change people’ and right before we decided to call it quits, I just felt like neither Isadora or I were gaining anything by being in a romantic relationship with each other. We are better off as best friends and I’m pretty sure both of us don’t regret changing our relationship status.”

 

Farkle again looked at Riley who seemed to be contemplating his answer. Did he say too much? He probably did, but it was the truth. He loved Isadora, but it has been a long time since he was in love with her. Finally, Riley spoke up.

 

“Are you sad about it?”

 

“It was disheartening at first. I mean she _was_ my first girlfriend.” Farkle thought about their early days of dating. How jealous he was when Smackle flirted with Lucas right in front of him but how he learned it was just because she wasn’t confident in their relationship. Looking back, that’s when they both started to be honest with each other but after almost three years of dating, he realized it wasn’t just honesty that held a relationship together.

 

“After I realized that I wasn’t in love with her anymore, I knew it was better to break it off before we hurt each other in the future. Isadora is smart and predicted my feelings before I really came to terms with it. She was understanding like she always is, and instead of being sad, she found our new friendship as a potentially great partnership. She’s already thinking of names for a future company merger.” He chuckled to himself about how ridiculous but determined Smackle was.

 

With her head resting on her hand, Riley wore a thoughtful expression. After a long silence, she abruptly sat up and stated, “I accept your answer.” And then poured the two shot glasses with liquor and held her glass in the air, waiting for him. Farkle picked his up, mirroring her stance.

 

“Cheers for telling the truth Farkle. I know that must have been a hard question to answer, but I’m really glad we’re being open with each other.” Farkle’s face warmed while clicking his glass with hers and swallowed the shot in one gulp. It was his turn next, but instead of the original question he planned to ask about their broken friendship, he decided to change it given his last answer.

 

“So why did you break up with Lucas then?” He couldn’t help it, he was curious too.

 

“I knew you were going to ask that one next.” She chuckled at his predictability but then her face dropped to a more solemn expression. “It has similarities with what happened between you and Smackle to be honest.” She took a big breath and exhaled, buying her time to formulate an answer.

 

“When I first saw Lucas, it was like a dream you know? He was my prince and I was his princess. He completed my childhood fairytale.” She wasn’t looking at Farkle, her gaze seemed far away like it was trying to catch on to her past.

 

“He was this great guy who I liked and he liked me back, so I thought we were meant to be together. We were perfect. Even though we were awkward around each other, we _deserved_ a happily ever after.” Riley let out a harsh scoff.

 

“Then we went to Texas and Maya admitted to having feelings for him and my fairytale fell apart. Maya is my everything and I couldn’t lose her. So, I tried to give her Lucas. They got closer to each other, and I kept my feelings to myself, trying to mask all my insecurities. But you –” She then looked at Farkle with watery eyes. “You noticed I was hiding my true feelings and by New Year’s, our whole world seemed to explode. The whole triangle shit happened, high school started, and Maya went through an identity crisis. And as if it couldn’t get even more complex, we went to the ski lodge and everyone confronted their feelings. But, in the end of all the madness, Lucas chose _me_. And Maya appeared content about it because she believed her feelings for Lucas weren’t real and she might end up with Uncle Josh one day. So, again I thought it was fate saying Lucas and I were meant to be together.” She gave a dark laugh, ending the sentence almost bitterly.

 

“So, we dated. And the dream became reality, and reality showed the truth: Lucas and I were not meant to be. It’s like you said, I love Lucas and will forever, but I stopped being in love with him. Or I don’t even know if I ever was _in love_ with him to be honest. I think I was so caught up in the idea of us together that I never stopped to think about what it really meant or who I was hurting by being together. I was so goddamn naïve. And _selfish_. All I ever fucking cared about was my own feelings and I completely disregarded everyone else. I don’t even know why Maya is still friends with me.” She said the last words so quietly it was almost unintelligible, but Farkle heard her loud and clear and his heart broke at the sight of her.

 

She turned her head away but Farkle could still see the tears that rolled down her face. Instinctively he brought his hand to her face to wipe the tear. Riley froze at his touch causing Farkle to swear internally.

 

_You’re not friends anymore, you shouldn’t be touching her you idiot_.

 

Right when he was about to move his hand away, Riley covered his hand with her own, and pressed her cheek further against them. “Thank you,” she whispered, “even though I don’t deserve it.”

 

Farkle shook his head and brought his other hand to her face, forcing her chocolate eyes to lock with his. “Riley, you are the most deserving person I know. We all act selfishly sometimes because we are human. It is in our nature to make mistakes. When I exposed that you still loved Lucas on New Year’s, that was _me_ acting selfishly. I couldn’t bear the thought of you suffering and hiding your feelings that I acted without care or rational reasoning. You, Maya, and Lucas paid the price for my mistake and I’m sorry.”

 

Farkle looked down to the ground, realizing for the first time how he played a role in hurting his former friends. He grew sad just thinking about it, but he brought his eyes back to Riley’s.

 

“Riley, the fact that you can look back and realize that you might have hurt people in the past shows how big your heart is and why Maya is still your best friend. She knows you would never hurt anyone intentionally and that you will always love her. It’s for this exact reason that she loves you unconditionally. You deserve the good in this world because _you are_ everything good in this fucked-up world.” Farkle has always been a cynical person, more so in the past few years, but in the short time spent tonight with Riley Matthews, he was becoming an optimist. It was the many things she brought out of Farkle, and right now he couldn’t say he hated it if it made her happier.

 

“I know we haven’t talked together in a long time, but you have taught me so much about life. _You_ are the one that showed me what your dad calls the ‘secret of life’ by simply being yourself. You’re not perfect, no one is, but you’re wonderful all the same.”

 

The last statement caused her to smile into his hands even though the tears kept pooling down, “Gosh, you keep bringing up my dad.”

 

“Your dad is smart you know. You got to give Hambone some credit once in a while.” She started giggling and Farkle felt the vibrations of one of his favorite sounds on his hands.

 

“Thank you Farkle. Really. You’ve always had a way with words. You always know how to make me feel better because it’s almost like you know my feelings before I even know them myself.” She smiled at him fondly which led to Farkle having those palpitations again.

 

Riley wiped the tears from her face and bent over to pick up the bottle of red wine. She took a large swing from the bottle and sat in silence for a while. She finally said, “It’s my turn now I guess.” She started playing with the hem of her dress, hesitating before asking, “Why did we drift apart after freshmen year?”

 

This was the question Farkle wanted to ask but did not want to answer. It was the question he didn’t want to face because he wasn’t entirely sure of the answer. Why did their seemingly perfect friendship dissolve like it was nothing? More importantly, why did neither him nor her try to repair it? Right when Farkle was attempting to prepare a response, he heard a loud knock on his door.

 

“Quick, hide the booze!” Farkle demanded, but Riley was already ahead of the game, quickly stashing the bottles away from view. Once Riley was situated back onto the couch, Farkle cleared his throat to give a weak “Come in.”

 

“Farkle I just wanted – Oh Riley, I didn’t realize you were down here!” Jennifer Minkus exclaimed while entering the room. “I’m sorry I don’t want to bother you guys. I just noticed that Farkle wasn’t at the party and thought he might have isolated himself in his room like he usually does so I had to check. I’m so glad you aren’t alone Farkle! Back with Riley just like old times!” Farkle physically cringed at his mother’s embarrassing remarks. He knew his mother meant well but it was likely that she was irritated that he left the party without her knowledge. “Riley, your parents are about to leave soon, just to give you a heads up.”

 

Riley gave a sweet smile to Jennifer unfazed by the woman’s previous remarks. “Thank you Mrs. Minkus, but I’m actually going to be staying at one of my friend’s house tonight, so I won’t be going back with my parents. They already know about it. She’ll be picking me up soon.”

 

“Alright sounds good! I am sorry for interrupting. I’ll talk to you in the morning Farkle. Have fun you two, but not _too_ much fun you know!” Jennifer gave a knowing smile to the kids and Farkle felt like he was about to have a heart attack.

 

“Mom!” Farkle cried.

 

“Oh, Farkle I’m only teasing! I’ll leave you two in peace. Good night!” She continued to laugh as she quietly shut the door behind her.

 

“Oh my God.” Farkle let out a groan of humiliation. He bent over the couch to grab the Hennessy and started drinking directly from the bottle. “I’m just going to forget that interaction ever happened by drinking away my memory.” Farkle heard Riley giggle in response. “Don’t laugh. I’m sorry my mom is like that. She’s just bothered it took her so long to actually notice I was gone. She’s always checking in on me to see. I swear she’s a worse version of a helicopter parent if that’s possible.”

 

“They’re called tiger moms.” Riley corrected while trying to stifle her giggles. “And no, it just means that she’s worried about you. My parents are the same. I mean you know my dad. If he isn’t giving life lessons, he’s stealing shoes from the boys in my room.” She chuckled at the thought. “It’s just a sign that they care.”

 

“I mean I guess. It just gets to be a lot you know? Always living under the pressure to be perfect. Having every part of your life planned to the last second. They’re my parents and I know they want the best from me, but _damn_ , I just need a break every once in a while.” He sighed deeply, frustrated about how his life ended up so out of his control.

 

“Farkle, you need to talk to them then. If they want what’s best for you, they would realize that overworking their only son isn’t the way to do it. If they love you, they’ll understand your concerns. You deserve some good from this world too, Farkley.” She playfully nudged his side, urging a laugh out of him.

 

“I’m not sure about that, but thanks Riles. You too have a way with words.” The last statement earned a bubbling laugh from her.

 

Farkle forgot how easy it was to talk to her. How simple his problems became just by having her listen to them. She was always so understanding. The smile he flashed back to her came with such ease. Both of them were now grinning at each other and Farkle moved his gaze to her strawberry-colored lips which looked so kissable at that moment.

 

_What? No! Don’t think like that you perv! Kissing Riley? She is not interested in you. She never was and never will be._

Farkle shook his head to clear those thoughts, hoping his reddened face would not be seen by Riley. He then remembered what Riley said when his mother came in. He gave a quick look at his watch. “If your friend is coming over now, you should probably get going downstairs.”

 

“Oh,” now she suddenly started blushing fiercely, fidgeting in her seat. “Well don’t be mad…but I kind of lied.” Riley admitted sheepishly. “Not a big lie! It’s just that I told my parents I was going to Maya’s afterwards which is totally normal, but I haven’t told Maya about it yet. I mean she won’t really care and I bet she’s actually expecting me to come over, but she isn’t coming to pick me up soon.” The words came out in such a rush she had to take a deep breath.

 

“Then why did you lie? I mean my mom wouldn’t really care.” Farkle asked confused.

 

“Well, we’re still playing this game and you never answered by last question. So… I didn’t really want to leave quite yet because I wanted to spend more time with you.” If possible, her face became even more red and Farkle could not stop thinking about how cute she was when she was flustered.

 

“Oh, I see.” Farkle said as he attempted to suppress a growing grin. Both his face and heart warmed at the thought that Riley wanted more time together.

 

Riley must have noticed the inching smile on Farkle’s face because she suddenly composed herself and sternly stated, “Well answer the question then Minkus!”

 

Farkle smile vanished when he remembered what the question was. How to even begin? He cleared this throat, knowing the answer would not be so easily summarized. “Well, I can only talk about what happened with me; why _I_ think we grew distant.” Riley nodded in agreement so Farkle pressed on.

 

“You know when we all thought you were going to move to London at the end of ninth grade?” Riley nodded slowly, appearing confused by the distant memory he brought up.

 

“That was one of the scariest moments of my life. No joke.” Riley looked at him with surprise. “I know you were probably even more scared than I was, but I just couldn’t even believe the idea of losing you. That I wouldn’t be seeing you every day. That you could not be a part of my life. It’s like my brain, which always ran like a machine, just stopped processing. I didn’t even fucking care about learning about Belgium 1831 because it meant we had to apply it to our lives. Which meant you would separate from us and gain your independence. And again, I was selfish because I didn’t want that.” Farkle looked to the ground and felt his chest tighten just thinking back to that dark time.

 

“When we were all saying goodbye, I told you I will always love you wherever you are, which was true, but I was also breaking inside.” All the emotions he felt in the past began creeping back. He took a deep breath before continuing.

 

“But then you weren’t leaving and I breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, the whole experience made me think and evaluate my life. Riley, you were _everything_ to me. I loved you so much, just the thought of being away from you caused me to breakdown. And it made me feel guilty. I was with Smackle. Why was I putting you above her? Why was I so dependent on you, someone who wasn’t even my girlfriend? I decided then that I needed to prioritize Isadora. We signed up for a summer science camp after the school year finished and that’s when the distance between you and I started.” He looked up to see Riley with a blank face on.

 

“It was hard you know? Not talking with you for an entire summer, but I thought it was necessary to make sure Smackle and I were OK. And I kept thinking that when we came back to school, everything would be the alright. We would all be friends like normal but my dependence on you would be gone. That was me being naïve. To think we could go back to normal when we haven’t spoken in three months?” Farkle scoffed at his own stupidity. He took a swing of the Hennessy and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

 

“Smackle and I came back and you four were so happy. It felt like you guys didn’t even miss us. You had the best summer of your lives without us. You and Lucas looked so content, perfect almost. Something I wanted for me and Smackle.” He was shocked by how bitter the words tasted on his tongue.

 

“Tenth grade started and Smackle and I ended up having the same classes but none of them were together with you four. You started getting involved with the school government and paper, Maya was into her art, Lucas and Zay were doing sports, and Smackle and I did our science clubs. We would maybe acknowledge each other when we passed through the halls, but there was no more talking or homework sessions at Topanga’s. We just drifted apart. And I told myself it was OK because you were happy with Lucas and I had Smackle. That was nature’s order and not a random coincidence. I wasn’t going to mess that up, so I kept the distance and our friendship fell apart as a result.” Farkle looked back at Riley who continued to give him a blank expression.

 

There were a hundred more things he could add to this story. How many times Smackle and him discussed going to Topanga’s to reestablish their lost friendship, especially after the break-up with Lucas, but never had the courage to go. How it might have been his long-term feelings for Riley that caused Smackle and him to break-up instead of the bullshit story he gave her earlier tonight. How with each passing day without Riley he felt like he was becoming more cynical because the future he had no control over looked so bleak without her.

 

He could go on and on, but it still returned to the same fact: he loved Riley so much that he caused this broken friendship. Was it all his fault? No. Riley didn’t try to mend the friendship either. But by not telling the whole truth, Farkle initiated the distance between them. He was always telling Riley that friends don’t lie to each other, but he was the biggest liar of them all.

 

Riley still was looking at him without saying a word. Farkle became scared at her sudden stoniness. Right when he was about to ask her if she was fine, she gave him a demented one-sided smile. Before he could contemplate the meaning of her chilling expression, he saw Riley’s hand in the air and felt a hard fist to his jaw. The impact of the punch caused him to stumble off the couch and onto the floor. Riley was on her feet, glaring down at a shocked Farkle.

 

“You are the biggest idiot of all time Farkle Minkus!” She screamed directly at him.

 

Farkle could taste blood in his mouth. He spat it onto his nice white rug before screaming back at her. “What the hell Riley?! I know I’m an idiot about my feelings but did you really have to punch me?” Riley was never one to be violent.

 

“Yes, I did Farkle because you are fucking idiot! You are the dumbest person on this planet even though everyone calls you a fucking genius! Well guess what?! They are all idiots too!” She was breathing very hard, anger fuming from her shaking body. She picked up the bottle of Hennessy and chugged down most of the liquid inside.

 

“God Farkle, can’t you fucking _talk_? Why couldn’t you talk to me about your damn feelings? We would still be friends if you knew how to talk and not keep secrets!”

 

Farkle thought the hit was uncalled for and became increasingly defensive. “Well it’s not like _you_ were fucking talking with me either!”

 

“That’s because I thought you hated me!” She spat out.

 

Farkle froze at her words. “W-What?” He stuttered out slowly.

 

Riley collapsed back onto the couch, her head in her hands. She looked completely defeated. “Farkle.” She whispered exasperatedly. “When you were in summer camp, I tried messaging you so many times, but you either didn’t respond or gave the most short, undescriptive responses ever. Maya, Lucas, and Zay said your texts were completely normal and friendly. I didn’t know what was going on. I messaged Smackle who said you were doing great at camp, but it wasn’t like you to be so closed off to me. I was so confused that I even planned this whole trip to go see you, to make sure you were alright, but Maya convinced me last minute that you were busy and probably needed space or something.” She lifted her head up from her hands and locked her sad eyes with Farkle’s.

 

“I thought I did something wrong. I just didn’t know _what_ I did. I thought when school started I could confront you and ask specifically what was up. Yet, when I first saw you in the halls that first day, it was like you looked right through me. You were talking with everyone else besides me, like I didn’t even exist. And then you stopped talking to everyone all together. We were all hurt and confused, but brushed it off as not having classes together and our growing differing interests. Maya tried convincing me that it was OK because we had each other. And while it’s true that all I need in this world is Maya, I couldn’t help feel like I caused the rift between us all.” Her eyes were watery as her gaze shifted to the TV screen that was now showing the epic fight between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

 

“I thought that it was me who caused you to stop talking with us. I thought about going up to you so many times to try and reclaim our friendship, but I didn’t even know where to begin because I didn’t know what I did wrong in the first place. But…” She now looked straight at him with a gaze so intense, Farkle physically froze. “Farkle, I don’t think I did anything wrong after hearing your side of the story.” Her beautifully solemn face looked like it had experienced a lifetime of sadness.

 

_I am the biggest piece of shit to ever exist._

Farkle slowly got up from the floor and sat next to her on the couch. “OK, you can punch me as many times as you want. I deserve it.”

 

Riley sighed. “I’m not going to hit you again Farkle.” She leaned against the couch, sounding tired.

 

“But you should! Christ Riley, I screwed everything up! The only good thing in my life was you and I fucked it up because I couldn’t talk with you! I couldn’t tell you how I was feeling and it led to misunderstandings, continued lies, and complete and utter shit! God! I need to wear a fucking tag that says, ‘biggest piece of shit’ and wear it every day for the rest of my life!” There has never been a more perfect time in his life then right now when Farkle wanted to disappear into a black hole to be lost forever. He closed his eyes to avoid the disappointing face Riley was likely wearing.

 

However, to Farkle’s surprise he heard the rupture of laughter coming from Riley. He opened his eyes and looked incredulously at the girl.

 

Riley was bent over her lap, clutching her side, laughing without control. Between bits of giggles, Riley spoke. “My God Farkle. A ‘biggest piece of shit’ tag? You are the most ridiculous person I have ever met.”

 

Farkle was still staring at her with disbelief. Yes, she was laughing _at_ him but why wasn’t she mad? As much as he used to please himself with knowing everything about Riley Matthews in the past, this new Riley was a complete mystery.

 

After several minutes, she calmed herself down. She regained her composure as she looked at Farkle intensely but sincerely. “Farkle, truth or truth?”

 

“W-What?” Farkle spurted. “We’re still playing this game?” Farkle was more confused than ever and it wasn’t helping that the alcohol seemed to really be kicking in making him feel even more foggy.

 

“It is my turn to ask a question. So, truth or truth?”

 

Farkle looked at her skeptically. _Was this all a game to her?_ He wasn’t going to ask that though in case she returned to her angry violent self, so he said, “Truth?”

 

“Are you sorry?”

 

Farkle dropped his eyes to the floor before bringing them back up to gaze into Riley’s warm eyes. “More than anything.” He said the words as sincerely as he could. “Riley I am _so_ sorry for everything. All the hurt, all the secrets and lies. I fucked up and I don’t know how I can fix it, but I want you to know that I’m sorry. It was never my intent to hurt you.”

 

Riley tilted her head to the side, a smile playing on her lips. “I accept your apology. So, drink up!”

 

“Wait what?!” Farkle remarked with disbelief. _What was happening?_ “You’re going to forgive me that easily?”

 

“Yes, Farkle I’m going to forgive you that easily.” She paused before continuing. “Farkle, while you made the dumbest mistake, we all made dumb mistakes too. We all just accepted the fact that we weren’t friends anymore. Like it was natural that we stopped being friends or something. We didn’t fight for each other and _that’s_ why this friendship fell apart. I don’t want us to not be friends anymore. I’ve missed you Farkle, so I’m going to forgive you.”  

 

“Riley, I don’t deserve to be your friend.”

 

“Farkle –“

 

“No Riley, let me finish. I don’t deserve to be your friend. I’ve missed you so much too but if I say yes to your friendship, it’s because I acted selfishly again. Because, I want to be your friend so badly but I can’t have my selfish wants end up hurting you again. I can’t take that risk.” He dropped his head down in shame.

 

Riley grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together. Her touch sent an electric current coursing through him, causing him to look directly at her. “Farkle, do you know why I came here tonight?”

 

Thinking back to the first question he asked her tonight he responded, “Yeah, because you didn’t want to third-wheel Maya and Lucas.”

 

“Sure, that was a part of the reason, but my real motivation in coming here tonight was to finally talk with you.” She smiled when she saw Farkle’s look of puzzlement.

 

“I had this whole plan Farkle. I was going to come in here and _demand_ you tell me why you stopped talking to us. Why you barely acknowledged me for the past two years. Since I kept blaming myself, I needed to know _why_ directly from you. I was going to march in here and the minute I got you alone, I was going to call you out.” She smirked at her potential bravery.

 

“All that faltered though when you smiled at me with our parents. I thought for so long that you hated me, but here you were, smiling at me just like old times.” She looked at him with kind eyes.

 

“I needed a new plan, fast. So, I decided to play a dumb game Maya taught me and get you drunk enough to uncover the truth.” She put her index finger to her lips and tilted her head to the side considering. “Hm, saying it out loud makes it seem a hundred times more disturbing than I intended, but in my defense, my goal was to find out the truth.”

 

It suddenly made sense to Farkle why she was acting so strange to him. She did have a hidden agenda and she was going to do anything to have it fulfilled. However, it didn’t really explain why she was still here. “So, you learned the truth. Aren’t you satisfied now?” She stared back at him with eyes so strong Farkle was rooted to his spot.

 

“No, I’m not. I forgot to tell you my other goal. After discovering the truth, my goal was then to become friends with you again.” She said it so simply, like it was bound to happen.

 

Farkle however, couldn’t take it so easily.

 

“How can you be so idealistic? What if you didn’t like the truth? What if I was just an asshole who didn’t want to be your friend anymore, that’s why I stopped talking with you?”

 

“Farkle, I _don’t_ like the truth. I’m fucking mad that this whole could have been easily fixed if we just stopped being dumbasses and talked with each other. But that didn’t happen, so that’s why we’re here right now. And you’re not an asshole Farkle. An idiot yes, but not an asshole. We both wanted each other’s happiness above our own that we risked our friendship, which ironically made us both unhappy. You say that you’re being selfish by becoming my friend again, but I’ve been selfish this entire night. Like you said earlier tonight, we’re humans and we make mistakes, it’s in our nature to be fucking selfish. If we both end up acting selfishly to rekindle a friendship that will benefit the both of us, is it really that bad? I don’t think being your friend again is a mistake Farkle. I may be a dreamer but our friendship is a dream that could be real if you just believe in me. Can you do that?” She looked at him expectantly awaiting his response.

 

Farkle’s head was spinning and he knew it wasn’t just from all the alcohol in his system. All Farkle knew was that he was scared. He already hurt her so much. He made her feel insecure about herself, questioning what she did wrong when Farkle just should have told her the truth. He didn’t deserve her friendship but she wanted it anyway. She planned this whole night so in the end they could be friends. She had a strong case and Farkle has ever been able to say no to Riley Matthews. He looked at her warm chocolate eyes and he knew his answer.

 

“I don’t know if all the outcomes from this friendship experiment will be positive, but I’m willing to test it out.” He gave her a small, sheepish smile hoping she understood his acceptance.

 

Her face slowly started to light up and Farkle barely had time to appreciate her beauty before Riley flung herself at him. While he stumbled slightly by her sudden embrace, he was able to hold her steady with his strong arms around her. Riley buried her head into the crook of his neck and Farkle could again smell the enthralling scent of her floral perfume. This time she was so close though that he could distinguish that the scent as peonies and it overwhelmed his senses.

 

“Thank you Farkle.” She whispered directly into his ears and again it felt like Farkle received an electric shock throughout his body.

 

They stayed in this position for some time, trying to make up for the lost time of no contact, before Riley pulled herself away. She wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face.

 

“I’ve made you cry too many times tonight. I’m sorry.” Farkle apologized.

 

“These are happy tears you idiot.” She said through a mixture of tears and smiles. “Thank you Farkle. I don’t want us to forget about the past, but I do want us to move on from here. To be a bigger part of each other lives than ever before.”

 

Farkle’s heart was racing yet again. They were going to be friends again. Riley Matthews and Farkle Minkus, after two years of silence, were friends again. They could talk to each other about their problems, lay under the stars to find constellations, and meet up at Topanga’s with the rest of the gang to just hang out like old times. The thought of being together with everyone made him dizzy with glee.

 

“Of course. I’m not going to leave this time. I mean it when I say I will love you always.”

 

Her face lit up once again when she heard their word being uttered by him after so long. And this time Farkle was able to cherish her beautiful glowing face.

 

_She truly was the sun, wasn’t she?_ He wouldn’t even mind being burned by her light.

 

Although he was exploding with happiness, he tried to play cool. “So, what do you want to do as our first act of rekindled friendship?”

 

“Well, I feel kind of bad when I told you this would be a lowkey night, and then I ended up crying multiple times and hitting you in the face. So, I feel our first act of renewed friendship should be keeping promises. Therefore, since I promised a simple night of getting drunk and watching movies, I think that is how the night should go. You game?”

 

“No more games please.” He insisted.

 

Riley gave a petrified look and scrambled to make herself clear. “Oh my God no! That’s not what I – “

 

“I know what you meant Riles.” Farkle interjected with a smile. “And yes I am totally _game_ to have a simple night. Let’s do your favorite movie this time though, so _Mean Girls_ it is?”

 

Riley sighed in relief at his understanding. “We could watch _The Empire Strikes Back_ since we didn’t really watch it.”

 

“No. I’ve watched that movie a hundred times. I never really let myself watch _Mean Girls_ since we had our falling out, it brought back too many bad feelings. But now that we’re good, I think I have the courage to watch this crazy, completely petty rom com with you.” He teased.

 

“Hey! _Mean Girls_ is a wholesome, hilarious movie that can make anything better OK?!” Riley defended with a pout. “Don’t make fun of it!”

 

Farkle put his hands up in surrender. “OK, I promise I will never criticize the amazingness that is _Mean Girls._ ”

 

She gave him a glare, but it was quickly replaced by a warm smile. She gave him the bottle of Hennessy while she kept the Pinot Noir to herself and held it in the air. “To friendship.”

 

“To friendship.” Clinking his bottle with hers, Farkle felt for the first time in a long time, that his future didn’t look so bleak after all as long as Riley’s bright light was there beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? If you did or did not please leave a comment so I can feel your feels! I think I'm going to have one more chapter after this, so please stick around for that! :)


	3. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!! Sorry, sorry, sorry this chapter took so long to update. I wrote a rough draft for the chapter several days ago and then I lowkey hated it, so I started a new one, which is what I'm uploading right now! This is the last chapter of this fic. I hope you enjoy this conclusion <3 Please leave a comment below!

Riley Matthews was a giggler.

 

Farkle always knew this. Her giggle was his favorite sound in the world, so he had adapted his ears to recognized it anywhere.

 

 _Drunk_ Riley put _sober_ Riley to shame with the number of giggles she released.

 

After successfully finishing her bottle of Pinot Noir before reaching the first half of the movie (she also attempted to finish the Hennessy and almost punched Farkle again before he placed the bottle on a shelf out of her reach), Riley began quoting (or misquoting) the rest of the film. And with every mistaken quote, Riley giggled. If it wasn’t his favorite sound in the world, Farkle might have cut his ears off.

 

But he loved the sound and it also might have helped that her head was rested on his shoulder and each giggle that came from the girl caused radiating vibrations between the pair.  So, it’s not like he was going to complain.

 

The minute the movie ended, Riley turned her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. “See you’re smiling! I knew you liked the movie!”

 

While Farkle did enjoy the movie, the real reasons he was smiling were because Riley and him were friends again and her general drunk adorableness. He knew his smile wouldn’t be leaving his face anytime soon if Riley was with him. But he wasn’t going to burst her happy bubble, so he said, “Yes, I’ll have to admit that was actually a decent movie.”

 

Riley gave a delighted giggle as she stood up from the couch. As she started walking toward the bed, Farkle looked at her in awe because the girl certainly had a great deal of balance even with all the alcohol in her system.

 

Riley then turned around abruptly and asked, “So, can I borrow some PJs?”

 

Farkle had only felt buzzed up until that point as he closely monitored how much he was drinking, but after that question it was like he was suddenly drunk because he did not understand what she was saying.

 

“W-what?” He stuttered out in confusion.

 

“I’m not going to sleep here in this dress Farkle.” She rolled her eyes while gesturing at her sleek dress.

 

“Sleep here?” He asked dumbfounded with his head spinning.

 

“Farkle.” Riley slurred his name off her tongue. “It’s almost 2:00 in the morning, I can’t go back home because my parents think I’m at Maya’s, and Maya is most definitely sleeping now so I can’t go to her place either. I have to stay the night here. I mean you have a guest room right? Your parents won’t notice I’m here _I promise_.” She let out another drunk giggle.

 

Farkle relaxed after hearing his explanation.

 

_Of course. She just needs a place to stay the night. Stop thinking weird thoughts._

 

Farkle got up from the couch and dug around his dresser to find some sweatpants and one of his old space shirts that would fit her. He handed the clothes to her stating, “The bathroom is back there,” as he gestured to his right.

 

Riley beamed at him and went to change, leaving Farkle alone with his thoughts for the first time that night.

 

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Farkle replayed all the events of the night.  

 

Two years of radio silence filled with a whole night of non-stop talking. Farkle was still shocked by how easily their friendship was restored, but he knew when Riley Matthews set her mind to something, it was bound to happen.

 

Suddenly Farkle froze. Riley accepted him back without hesitation, but the others? Maya, Lucas, and Zay? Would they be so willing to rekindle their broken friendship? And what about Smackle? They always talked about making up with the others, but never put their words into actions. How would she feel about all this?

 

Farkle was so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed Riley had finished changing and was sitting next to him on his bed.

 

“Whatcha thinking about?” She questioned causing him to jolt out of his worrying thoughts.   

 

“Um, nothing.” Rubbing the back of his neck in nervousness.

 

“Farkle, come on.” She rolled her eyes. She appeared to be less drunk as her face looked fresh like she washed it. She also wasn’t giggling every second. “Did we really just go through this entire ordeal to be friends again so you couldn’t talk to me?”

 

Farkle sighed deeply, knowing she was right. “Well, I guess I’m just nervous about how the others will react to us being friends again. You were so accepting like always. But Maya? If you punched me after learning about the truth, that girl is going to murder me.”

 

Riley laughed at the thought. “I mean probably.” The statement earned her a glare from the boy, but she pressed on with a smile. “I think everyone is going to feel a little out of sorts when they find out we’re friends again. There will obviously be lots of questions and much needed conversations, but I know these people. You know them too Farkle. Sure, we grew older, but our hearts have stayed the same. They will be just as accepting as I was. We all just want to be friends again. Don’t you think?”

 

Earlier tonight Farkle would have considered her words as her typical blind faith and hope for good. But after everything that happened tonight – with him and Riley being friends again, something he never thought would happen – he could really see her words coming to life. The six of them may have grown apart, but these people were his best friends for years before that fall-out. They still wanted to be friends right?

 

Riley’s warm smile back at him made him feel like anything in the world was possible.

 

Farkle gave a smile back to her. “I guess we’ll just have to find out ourselves soon enough.”

 

Riley let out a sigh of relief, and let herself fall back onto the bed. While gazing up at the ceiling she said, “You know, I could probably spend the rest of my life looking up at these stars.”

 

Following her lead, Farkle also lied down on the bed to look at the constellations above. “Sometimes, when the world gets a little too much, I just spend hours looking up there, trying to imagine what life would be like outside of Earth.”

 

“Still want to live on Mars?” She questioned while looking at the ceiling.

 

“Of course, but only if you’re there with me.” The words came out of his mouth before he could even process them and Farkle wanted to hit himself across the head.

 

_Wow, way to return to your creepy eighth grade self Minkus._

 

And while he was mentally cursing himself for that last statement, a grin played on Riley’s face as she said, “You. Me. Mars. Let’s do this thing.”

 

Farkle whipped his neck so fast to look over at her he swore he tore a muscle, but he didn’t even care because she said those words like they were a promise. The last time he said those exact words to her, she looked scared for her life. Now, as she tore her gaze away from the stars above and gave him a kind smile, she looked like she would go to the ends of the universe with him.

 

She was looking at him intensely when she asked. “Farkle do you believe in soulmates?”

 

Farkle just stared at her. This girl kept throwing so many curveballs at him, he was starting to feel disoriented. But from her serious gaze he could tell that this question was important to her so after some thought he gave a simple answer. “Um, well logically speaking, it’s unlikely that soulmates exist.”

 

Riley blinked several times before nodding her head slowly and putting her eyes back onto the ceiling. She wore a small frown like she was contemplating his answer but seemed disappointed by it.

 

_God, did I just offend her?_

 

Farkle quickly tried to explain himself. “Well, it’s just that you have to prove that souls exist for soulmates to be real. While I don’t think soulmates exist scientifically, I do think that people are put into our lives for a reason.”

 

Riley turned her head back at him and give him an intrigued expression. With this encouragement, he continued.

 

“I don’t believe in things like coincidences or fate, science can’t explain those things. But there are certain people in our lives that we meet who we end up sharing a special connection with, and those people change our lives, for the better or for the worse.”

 

“People change people.” Riley echoed her father’s words.

 

“The secret of life.” Farkle completed the phrase with a smile.

 

Riley bit back a smile of her own. She then turned her whole body towards Farkle and waved her hand so Farkle could mirror her stance. Now, they were both facing each other and Farkle  started to feel lightheaded like the walls were closing in around them, isolating them in their own world.

 

“When I realized Lucas wasn’t my soulmate, I thought soulmates didn’t exist either.” She uttered while playing with his tie. “But then I found out that they do.”

 

It seemed like she was moving even closer to him and Farkle was having difficulties breathing, but he still managed to get out, “How?”

 

“I opened my eyes and saw how Maya and Lucas acted around each other. I saw that although they teased each other all the time, they had this affection and understanding between them. Their love for each other came so naturally, I think they didn’t even notice it.” She was smiling while she continued to play with his tie. “When I told Maya she should go date Lucas a few months after we had broken up, she literally pushed me off the bay window in denial. But I told her that it was always her that Lucas loved and I was actually fine with that. Lucas wasn’t my brother or boyfriend, he was just my friend. Lucas was Maya’s soulmate and they belonged together.” She smiled up at him. “And look where they are now, too in love for me to even handle.” She laughed genuinely.

 

Farkle stared down at her brown eyes and saw how much they lit up with joy when she spoke about the people she cared about.

 

“I realized there are different ways to be a soulmate. It can be romantically like with Maya and Lucas or like my parents. Or it can be platonically like Maya and me. Soulmates are the people who are meant to be in your lives because they care for you, believe in you, accept you, carry you forward, and most of all, love you always.” She brought her gaze back up to him. “So, do you believe in soulmates now?”

 

_I would believe in anything you say because I love you. Science can’t explain why I have always been in love with you. Yet, there is nothing I know with more certainty than how much I love you._

 

But Farkle didn’t say any of that. Instead he said, “Well if that’s the definition of a soulmate, then yes, I’m starting to have some faith.”

 

She suddenly stopped playing with his tie and locked her intense, piercing eyes with his. “Farkle, I want us to be soulmates.”

 

And with that, Farkle stopped breathing. Riley wanted to be soulmates with _him_? Why? _How_? He just became friends with her again, it’s not like she wanted to be romantic soulmates, right?

 

_Get a hold of yourself Minkus. She doesn't like you like that remember?_

 

But a large part of him wanted to know if it was _ever_ a possibility that Riley felt the same way about him. That she too felt these more-than-friends feelings and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He wasn’t sure if it was his own need to know or the alcohol that gave him the willpower to ask the question. “Soulmates in what way?”

 

She moved herself so she was only inches away from his face, and Farkle forgot how to breathe as she whispered, “That’s what I want to find out.”

 

And she gripped his tie to pull him closer so her lips crashed against his and Farkle realized why he was so breathless.

 

_Riley Matthews was oxygen._

 

She was both the sun and the air. Without her, he would die.

 

Farkle Minkus always knew he couldn’t live without Riley. Even when they weren’t friends, he survived because she was there, providing both oxygen and light. Kissing Riley Matthews made him realize how deprived he was of both elements. He was insatiable for her, so he kissed harder against her soft lips, taking all of her in.

 

He let one of his hands cup her face while the other one drifted down to grab her waist pulling her closer to him. He could feel the goosebumps rise on her skin as his thumb grazed the small gap between her shirt and sweatpants. Her mouth opened in surprise at his touch, and Farkle found his tongue slip in between her lips to get a taste of her. And _god_ , she tasted like cherry lip gloss and red wine, making him feel even more intoxicated.

 

He had never felt this way with Smackle. Their kisses were always short, sweet, and simple. With Riley, there was a passion that ignited every cell in his body. If Riley was oxygen, he must be organic matter because when they combined, it caused a combustion of heat and flames. And instead of cowering away from the fire, he only craved more.

 

He said earlier tonight that no one perfect, but he proved himself wrong, because Riley Matthews was perfection. Kissing her made his heart race, his head dizzy, and if it was even possible, his love for her grow a thousand folds.  

 

Farkle thought Riley’s intoxicating spell really did make him drunk, because he couldn’t recall what happened next. All he remembers before his eyes shut close from fatigue, was the feeling of Riley sleeping soundlessly on his chest while he gazed up at his ceiling, wondering how all the stars in the galaxy could never compare to the girl beside him who he loved more than life itself.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

  

Farkle has always been a light sleeper.

 

With his parent’s history of late night fights, he had been accustomed to waking up to the slightest of noise.

 

So, when he suddenly felt a weight off his chest and heard the rustle of bed sheets, his eyes sprang open.

 

Farkle blinked several times to adjust to the light and shook his throbbing head to orient himself. Looking down at himself, he saw that his tie was on the floor but the rest of his clothes were intact. He slowly brought his gaze upwards, unsure of what he would find exactly. His eyes settled on Riley sitting at the side of the bed, with her back towards him. And then everything came back to him.

 

Riley. The game. Drinking. Friends. Mars. Soulmates. Kissing. Riley, Riley, Riley.

 

Everything was broken up and foggy but there was one constant bringing clarity like always – Riley.

 

_Holy shit, Riley and I kissed!!_

 

He observed her in wonder. The sun was streaming in through the window and surrounded her in a warm glow. It was almost painful to look directly at her but he needed her and he also needed to know what everything meant.

 

He cleared his throat and spoke apprehensively, “So, last night happened…”

 

Her body tensed at his words but then she replied slowly, “Yes it did.” Her voice sounded low and emotionless. Her back was still facing him as she looked down at her hands.

 

After several moments of silence where no one moved, Farkle started thinking of the worst.

 

_Fuck, did she regret everything that happened last night?_

His mind raced back to the last conservation they said. She wanted to know his feelings about soulmates.

 

And then his heart skipped a beat.

 

She asked him to be her soulmate and he asked her in what way. His chest tightened as he came to the realization that her recent silence meant she didn’t want to be soulmates the way he wanted to. She was probably staying silent because she was thinking of a way to let him down gently.

 

Farkle couldn’t breathe. He knew that meant he needed Riley, but he couldn’t go to her if she didn’t reciprocate his feelings. While he was slowly dying, he couldn’t let her suffer in misery. So, he put on a brave face, even though he knew the next thing he was going to do would actually kill him.

 

“We can forget last night happened.”

 

And with those words, Riley spun around to face him. Her eyes looked tired but she wore a face of confusion.

 

Farkle kept going, knowing that if he stopped, he would breakdown.  

 

“I mean we were both drunk.” _Well not me_. “We didn’t know what we were doing.” _Again, not me._ “And the kissing…” _Felt like flames and passion and everything perfect in the universe._ “We can just forget it all happened. It didn’t mean anything.”

 

 _Lies, lies, lies,_ that left him dead inside.

 

Riley turned her body to face him more directly. Even though Farkle was trying to avoid looking at her face, he could feel her intense gaze on him. “Do you mean that?”

 

_No._

 

But he just shrugged in response, because he knew he couldn’t say anything right now without his voice cracking in despair. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe anymore. He wanted Riley but also needed to be as far away from her as possible.

 

She suddenly took both his hands in hers and forced Farkle to look at her. “Farkle, tell me the truth, do you really want that?”

 

Farkle couldn’t take it anymore. _Why did she care about the truth when she didn’t want him_? All the feelings inside of him – fear, anger, confusion, nostalgia, longing, love – just exploded all at once. “Of course I don’t fucking want that! Riley, I am in love you! I always have been since the first grade! Last night was like a perfect dream that I never wanted to wake up from. But we did wake up, and now you regret it. And even though I don’t want to forget it, I’m not going to force my feelings onto you.” He brought his head down, disappointed at his sorrowful life.

 

After the outburst, Riley stared at him in shock. “Farkle, I’m sorry I never realized your true feelings until now, but I need you to know that I don’t regret last night.”

 

Farkle brought his head back up. “What?”

 

“I said, _I don’t_ – “

 

“OK, I know what you said,” Farkle interrupted, “but you seemed so indifferent, you weren’t looking at me. I assumed – “

 

“That’s exactly it Farkle, you _assumed_. And you assumed wrong, you idiot.” She shook her head in amusement. “I’m hungover Farkle. I, unlike you, drank an entire bottle of Pinot Noir, so I didn’t want you to see my ugly hungover face.”  

 

It was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that Farkle wanted to hit himself across the head. _Why the fuck_ couldn’t he think rationally when he was around this girl? Also, how could she ever think she was ugly? Even with her tired eyes, Farkle couldn’t imagine a more beautiful human.  

 

Humiliated by how he handled the situation, he started an apology, “Shit, Riles, I’m sor –“

 

“Farkle, stop. You don’t need to apologize.” She squeezed their connected hands. “I know we were both a little drunk last night and things seem confusing now, but I enjoyed everything about last night.”

 

“Everything?” He asked skeptically.

 

“Everything.” She reassured him with a nod. “Very much so.”

 

Farkle still couldn’t wrap his head around it. “Then that means…”

 

“To be honest I don’t really know what that means.” She hesitated before moving on. “When I kissed you, it was because I truly didn’t know what type of soulmate you were to me. I just knew at that moment the idea of being only a platonic soulmate wasn’t satisfying to me. I wanted _more_ of you, so I kissed you. If I had known your feelings before all of this I wouldn’t have been so rash. I’m sorry.”

 

“ _You’re_ sorry? Why?” He didn’t understand why _she_ was apologizing now.

 

“Because I shouldn’t have played you like that!” She exclaimed. “You have always known that you loved me. But these feelings are new to me. I should have thought it through instead of doing things on the whim.”

 

“What are these new feelings you have?” He asked curiously.

 

Riley’s face began to redden and she started playing with their hands. “That I like you. A lot.” She shook her head. “No. That I am also in love with you.”

 

Farkle’s mouth dropped open and he swore he was about to faint because this couldn’t be real.

 

Riley Matthews. _In love._ With him?

 

She continued, trying to explain herself. “I think I have been for a while, but never wanted to admit it. I mean that last time we were actually friends, you were with Smackle and I was with Lucas! But when you left…” She sighed deeply, “It was like you took a piece of my heart with you. I didn’t understand why I was so torn up about you leaving me. I just always believed my love for you was based on our long years of friendship, but everything that happened last night made me realize the truth.” She took a breath before whispering, “I am in love with you.”

 

“Can you repeat that, please? I don’t think I heard it correctly.” He insisted.

 

She rolled her eyes but gave him a smile as she said, “I, Riley Matthews, am in love with you, Fark-“

 

But she never finished because Farkle grabbed her face and kissed her on the mouth. And while he initially felt her tense at the sudden contact, soon he found her lips curve up into a big smile.

 

After several seconds, he felt his throbbing headache return so he brought his face back to look at her. His lips were still tingling like they were on fire, but he didn’t care. “You’ve just made me the happiest man on the planet. I never in my lifetime thought I would ever hear you say those words.”

 

She bit back a smile. “I never really thought I would have the courage to say them either. Yet, sometimes we just can’t hide from the truth, and I’m tired of running away from my own feelings.” She rested her hand on his cheek. “I know everything is happening so fast, but _us_? It feels so right that I don’t want it to stop.”

 

Farkle heart soared as he pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you Riley. Always.”

 

She closed her eyes as she whispered, “And I love you Farkle. Always.”

 

Farkle never could have predicted in his wildest dreams how everything turned out so perfectly. There was no scientific equation that could explain their love for each other, but he didn’t need science to know the truth. Over, and over, the only truth was everything came back to her. She was his soulmate and he was hers and nothing could ever change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, of course I had to make it romantic!! Farkle and Riley are forever in love. <3
> 
> I know many people believe that soulmates are only romantic, but I do think that you can have several soulmates in your lifetime. I mean Riley and Maya are definitely soulmates no? Their relationship is just different that Riley and Farkle's relationship which I wanted to make clear in this chapter. 
> 
> I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and this fic in general. (Iol I originally planned for it to be a drabble and now its 13000+ words :')) 
> 
> Please leave a comment to let me know how you felt about the story!! :))) 
> 
> Also, yes, the second to last line of this chapter is from This Town by Niall Horan. That song is so Riarkle it literally makes me weep.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! So I know Farkle and Riley might feel OOC right now, but all will make sense in the following chapter I promise. The next chapter is obviously going to be very emotionally heavy because this dumb game will be revealing all their secrets. I hope I will have it up within the next week or so. If you like what you read and would like to see more, please comment below! 
> 
> Also, this fic and its title were inspired by Bastille's song The Silence. Bastille is my favorite band of all time so I highly recommend a listen to them!


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